Ontario Nature Blog

Taking a stand that supports Ontario Nature’s long-held position, Environmental Commissioner, Gord Miller, says that wind turbines should not be built in Important Bird Areas. His recently released annual report focuses on the delicate balance between the inclusion of wind power as an important source of green energy and the conservation of biodiversity, especially sensitive ...

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I can’t say that I’m a regular reader of Ontario Beef magazine, but an article in the February 2012 edition by Gerald Rollins caught our attention. Rollins, a beef farmer and director on the board of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, may well be affected by certain elements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). More specifically, ...

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After my recent article in ON Nature about the cooperation between Ontario cattlemen and conservationists to save the bobolink, readers contacted me to find out if there was a way of actually locating the nests in hay/grass fields. Some had watched their hayfields for years, and had always seen bobolinks, but never been able to ...

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It seems we can add smaller birds to the growing list of impacts climate change is already having on the planet’s flora, fauna and habitats. A joint Swiss–U.S. study of nearly half-a-million birds, from more than 100 species, has found that birds are becoming lighter and developing smaller wings. Based on a hunch, the researchers ...

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After more than 35 years of endangered species status, bald eagles living south of the French and Mattawa rivers were downgraded to a species of special concern by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in mid-August. Jody Allair, a biologist with Bird Studies Canada (BSC) who oversees field studies of a southern Ontario-wide bald eagle ...

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